US Space Force

First launch for Pentagon’s own mega-constellation set for Thursday

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This artist’s concept illustrates how the Space Development Agency’s mesh network will detect and track missiles, relay data, and perform navigation and tech demo missions. Credit: Space Development Agency The U.S. military’s Space Development Agency, established in 2019 to fast-track new national security capabilities in orbit, plans to launch the first 10 satellites for a …

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Penultimate Delta rocket to launch next month on ULA’s first mission of 2023

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ULA’s Delta 4-Heavy rocket lifted vertical on pad 37B at Cape Canaveral ahead of launch on the NROL-68 mission. Credit: United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance’s second-to-last Delta 4-Heavy rocket is scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral April 20 with a classified cargo for the U.S. government’s spy satellite agency, a mission that will …

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United Launch Alliance nears first fueling test on Vulcan rocket

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A pathfinder core stage fr ULA’s Vulcan rocket on pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station earlier this year. The Vertical Integration Facility is pictured in the background.. Credit: United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance could load cryogenic methane and liquid oxygen propellants into a Vulcan rocket test article at Cape Canaveral for the …

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Photos: ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral

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Carrying a sophisticated billion-dollar missile detection satellite for the U.S. military, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday with 1.6 million pounds of thrust from a Russian RD-180 main engine and twin solid rocket boosters. The 194-foot-tall (59-meter) Atlas 5 rocket lifted off at 1:37 p.m. EDT (1737 …

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Atlas 5 rocket launches infrared missile detection satellite for U.S. Space Force

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A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasts off with the U.S. military’s SBIRS GEO 5 satellite. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now An upgraded, cyber-hardened $1 billion satellite to support the U.S. military’s missile defense systems rode into orbit from Cape Canaveral Tuesday at the tip of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. …

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Problem during fueling preps forces Atlas 5 launch delay

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The payload shroud of ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket, containing the SBIRS GEO 5 missile warning satellite. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now United Launch Alliance called off a launch attempt Monday after hitting a snag during preparations to fill an Atlas 5 rocket with cryogenic propellants at Cape Canaveral, delaying the liftoff of a new U.S. Space …

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Photos: Atlas 5 ready for liftoff with SBIRS GEO 5

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These photos show a 194-foot-tall (59-meter) United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket standing on pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in advance of a planned launch with the U.S. Space Force’s fifth SBIRS missile warning satellite. The Atlas 5 rocket is set for launch during a 40-minute window opening at 1:35 p.m. EDT …

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U.S. military warning sentinel attached to Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral

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The U.S. Space Force’s fifth SBIRS GEO early warning satellite — encapsulated inside the Atlas 5 rocket’s payload shroud — arrives at the Vertical Integration Facility on May 7. Credit: United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance crews at Cape Canaveral have topped off an Atlas 5 rocket for liftoff Monday with the U.S. military’s next …

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U.S. Space Force’s next missile warning satellite arrives at Florida launch base

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The SBIRS GEO 5 satellite enters a thermal vacuum chamber last year at Lockheed Martin’s factory in Sunnyvale, California. Credit: Lockheed Martin A billion-dollar missile warning satellite built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Space Force arrived at Cape Canaveral earlier this month to kick off final preparations for launch May 17 aboard a United …

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ULA, SpaceX split military launch contract awards

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Artist’s illustration of a Vulcan Centaur launch. Credit: United Launch Alliance The U.S. Space Force announced Tuesday that it awarded $384 million in contracts to United Launch Alliance and SpaceX, giving each company two missions to launch military satellites in 2023. United Launch Alliance won task orders for the USSF-112 and USSF-87 missions. Both launches …

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